U16 Tournament

[awhom111]

Final boxscore for the 109-44 win:

USA v Chile boxscore - FIBA U16 Women's Americas Championship 2019 - 18 June - FIBA.basketball

The official website of FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, and the governing body of Basketball. FIBA organises the most famous and prestigious international basketball competitions including the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the FIBA World Championship for Women and the FIBA 3x3 World...

www.fiba.basketball

Video for rescheduled game against Mexico at 6pm ET on Wednesday:

 

[CocoHusky]

Another strong game from Citron as well who has completely outshone Poffenbarger in the battle of UConn wing prospects.

What are your thoughts on Payton Verhulst as a UCONN wing prospect? She is listed at 6'1" and may not be done growing and is out playing both Citron and Poffenbarger IMO.

 

[DaBball]

Verhulst has a knack of getting out front of the defenders on the break, aka the Kia Nurse move. She's piling the points on now.

Another strong game from Citron as well who has completely outshone Poffenbarger in the battle of UConn wing prospects.

Miles has little interest in shooting the ball but can really control a game with her passing.

Betts is putting up numbers, mostly due to height although she's gotten a few nice blocks.

DeBerry's shot selection is, shall we say, questionable.

Citron looks well ahead of Poffenbarger. Very impressed with her game and overall style of play through the first two games.

Miles was a little out of control today, but still very impressive. She had 5 turnovers today. I wish she found a middle ground between passing and scoring -- something Bueckers is tremendous with. I think of Miles more of a want than a need with Bueckers and Muhl.

I'm so underwhelmed with DeBerry. 1-6 and 4 turnovers. As a 2021, I expected much more from her. Timea Gardiner also shot 1-6, but I still like her game and motor a lot.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

A few more thoughts:

Londynn Jones struggled with her shot early but didn't let it bother her; hit 3 of her last 4 from three.

Gardiner and Betts have missed too many bunnies so far. Gardiner didn't have a particularly good game.

Kiki Rice is a great athlete with a terrific motor who does a lot of Gabby Williams things. She appears to have one glaring weakness and that's her outside shot. Very uncomfortable looking form that resulted in an airball and another shot that barely hit the rim.

Janiah Barker has a great upside and probably will be top-5 in the class.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

What are your thoughts on Payton Verhulst as a UCONN wing prospect? She listed at 6'1" and may not be done growing and is out playing both Citron and Poffenbarger IMO.

I like Verhulst, definitely. I'm not sure I agree she's outplayed Citron though. Verhulst is probably a guard at the next level I'm guessing which is why I don't know where she'd play. Where is the room if UConn brings in a certain girl with a cartoon character's name?

 

[Dillon77]

What are your thoughts on Payton Verhulst as a UCONN wing prospect? She listed at 6'1" and may not be done growing and is out playing both Citron and Poffenbarger IMO.

Coco:
I think both Citron and Verhulst are playing well. They're a bit different in my eyes:
- Citron is amazingly technical for her age, efficient and smooth, smooth, smooth. She missed what...one three-pointer today? See her as a #2.

- Verhulst is surprisingly agile. The talent/ability that goes into making her an all-state volleyball player is evident: she's quick off her feet to jump and has a really fast first step. There's a reason she's ahead of the break, as Sluconn noted. That aspect of her game reminds me a bit of Maddie Cable, another surprisingly good athlete, who ostensibly was the "big guard" or wing in ND's Princeton spread a few years back (with Lindsay Allen at point and Mabrey1 at the off guard).

The only mild disagreement I might have (now that Cable is in my mind) is didn't you mean potential ND wing prospect?
And to think, she came in somewhat under the radar....

 

[Sluconn Husky]

DeBerry has definitely been disappointing though it's only two games. I think she's a project which I guess most rising juniors are, but she really is, imo.

Also, Aaliyah Moore is a bulldozer who has a really nice floor. Think she's going to be solid if not spectacular.

 

[Dillon77]

DeBerry has definitely been disappointing though it's only two games. I think she's a project which I guess most rising juniors are, but she really is, imo.

Also, Aaliyah Moore is a bulldozer who has a really nice floor. Think she's going to be solid if not spectacular.

Have to take a long-range view of all posts at this age, but the fact that Lauren Betts is starting, added 16 points and had 5 blocks caught my eye. 6'7" also catches my eye.

I saw the ESPNw article on her and see that Keith Van Horn is working with her. Here's his analysis:

"You can tell she's been around the game with the way she keeps the ball high and makes the right reads," said Van Horn, who coaches Betts on her Colorado Premier AAU team. "She's pretty instinctive, with great hands and a feel for blocking shots and knowing how to position herself so she can effectively use her height. She picks things up quickly, and that isn't always the case with kids her age.

"The next step is for her to develop confidence with her shooting range. She has a nice touch, and I think she will be a solid outside shooter. She has to develop go-to moves and counters, but she has the talent to play at a big-time level. She is already being recruited by a majority of the top-10 teams in the nation."

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Have to take a long-range view of all posts at this age, but the fact that Lauren Betts is starting, added 16 points and had 5 blocks caught my eye. 6'7" also catches my eye.

She certainly has upside. Her coordination isn't there yet, but she has good timing on blocks including ones out of her space. She does lumber up and down the floor a bit, but then she's a large human being.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Game vs Mexico is on.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Citron is incredibly efficient. She just doesn't take poor shots, she's calm and calculated, smart. Much as I've been impressed with Verhulst she does force some bad shots, particularly in the lane. Miles has done that twice today already as well.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

28-11 after the 1st quarter.

Londynn Jones is 2/2 from three.

DeBerry has made two baskets off Miles passes.

KK Bransford is really athletic and has a chance to be an impact defender. She did get pulled after a poor pass though.

Betts played solidly.

Gardiner missed another bunny.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Shot clock violation after some great hounding by Miles and Jones.

Poffenbarger and Moore also pretty aggressive defenders. DeBerry a notably non-aggressive defender.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

DeBerry continues to be a conundrum. She gets a lead pass on the break and should've had a layup. Instead, she stopped to let the trailing defenders go past, took a dribble backwards, and missed a jumper.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Jones hits her third 3 at the halftime buzzer after a good find by Poffenbarger on the break.

Bransford keeps being aggressive and getting to the line.

Can't stress enough how big Barker's upside is.

54-17

 

[DaBball]

Competition is so bad. Not even close to the 2015 U16 tournament. Hopefully U19 will be better.

 

[freekimchee]

Verhulst is so dynamic and fun to watch while Citron is very disciplined and super smooth. Both are deceptively fast. I'd be very happy if we can land one those two.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Verhulst making shots in the 3rd.

Miles will have to reign in some of the flashy passes in college but she sure is fun to watch make them.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

98-33 final

Miles is kind of a walking highlight reel.

Poffenbarger contributed quite a bit without scoring.

Jones got two steals in about 12 seconds with her relentless defense.

DeBerry finished inside several times including one very impressive post move.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Boxscore vs Mexico:

USA v Mexico boxscore - FIBA U16 Women's Americas Championship 2019 - 19 June - FIBA.basketball

The official website of FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, and the governing body of Basketball. FIBA organises the most famous and prestigious international basketball competitions including the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the FIBA World Championship for Women and the FIBA 3x3 World...

www.fiba.basketball

 

[awhom111]

The quarterfinal against Brazil is supposed to be at 3:30pm ET on Thursday, but the YouTube link is not up yet.

 

[eebmg]

The quarterfinal against Brazil is supposed to be at 3:30pm ET on Thursday, but the YouTube link is not up yet.

Bad conflict with the World Cup USWNT game against Sweden which I am locked into.

 

[BigBird]

I'm still having a problem figuring out why there was such a rebounding discrepancy...

Post of the month!

 

[CocoHusky]

Trying not to overreact especially after three games against inferior competition. But general impressions so far some of which have been echoed already:

Olivia Miles is not only entertaining but she has elite court vision and passing ability. The rest of her game needs to catch up.

Payton Verhulst game is throwback, complete, advanced, athletic, enjoyable ....(insert your own positive adjective here).

I have seen plenty of quickness in players of Londynn Jones size who is generously listed at 5'5"-Never seen that combination of quickness and outside shooting prowess.

Lauren Betts is shooting 47% on 34 FGA-Both numbers are completely unacceptable because about 30 of those shots were at the basket and the tallest defender might have been only about 6'.

Either Citron or Poffenbarger would work well as big guard /wing in the UCONN offense- I'd prefer Poffenbarger. Citron is starting and outshooting Poffenbarger by a wide margin (69% to 36%) but I really really like the passing ability of Poffenbarger and she's putting that extra inch to work and hounding the perimeter defensively. Citron has been a little sloppy defensively and has picked up a few cheap fouls.

I see why @Sluconn Husky is talking about with Janiah Barker she just looks like an athlete ready to make some good happen all the time.

Kiki Rice needs a reliable outside jumpshot to get to the next level.

Bransford, DeBerry, Moore & Gardiner have all had head scratching moments and equal flashes of brilliances. For now I'd say Gardiner is the leader of that pack.

 

[victor64]

If you could only choose two players off this team to be eventual Huskies, who would they be?

Mine would be Verhulst and Betts.

All observations about Betts, both good and bad are valid. She still has three years of high school. Her strength, coordination and shooting touch should improve considerably in that time. As long as she stay healthy, her upside is ridiculous.

Watching Verhulst is "must-see" TV. Her stroke is in the same ballpark as Fudds. She plays with great joy and unselfishness. I know upcoming UCONN teams are loaded at wings but this kid is worth making room for.